Peg Stomierowski Gould is a writer and editor, focusing on executive leadership, health and wellness, financial services and other business topics. Connect with her on LinkedIn. This is her first contribution to SmartBlog Insights. A second part in this series will run next week.

Just got in from attending the American Independent Writers conference, “New Realities, the (R)evolution of Writing and Publishing, in Washington, D.C.  AIW  is doing its best to navigate churn in a field where the medium seems to be evolving as fast as young adults can text their favorite contacts. Those in the literary world have to rely on more than espresso and TV commercials to stay alert.

While good writing can be a solitary preoccupation, not everyone can be a J.D. Salinger.  For many, especially new authors, the ability to express projects to others, including agents and marketers, can be key to a successful sales strategy.  This process of informal auditioning went on all day at the meeting, with writers fidgeting in their chairs, waiting in line to pitch queries to agents. These brief exchanges unfolded in face-to-face encounters over white tablecloths, a process not unlike speed dating.

The ongoing work of finding your voice and what you might actually have to say was intimately described, with candor and humor, to the assembled crowd by author/speaker Jill McCorkle. In this aspect of writing, not so much has changed. It’s still about leaving your comfort zone and uncovering your authentic self.  She counsels her writing students about locking in the closet those personas or voices whose influence could, if they were allowed enough power and access, hold them back from telling it how it is or how it was for them.

Many are the times in professional life that you may need to know how to present yourself and your creative ideas with confidence and conviction — whether it be pitching a new program idea to the Board or executive committee (or just your boss), speaking with a group of potential members on why they should join the organization or selling exhibitors on a booth renewal.  Will you be ready for those moments, or could some forethought and coaching help? Here are a few resources to consider:

http://www.ispi.org

http://www.harveymeier.com

http://www.shrm.org

http://www.mcallistercoaching.com/

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